If you're looking for love, becoming a lobbyist for the adult entertainment industry is probably a poor career decision. After all, bringing the good news about adult Webmasters, filmmakers, and publishers is not likely to win you any friends; you should expect to be attacked by clergymen, demagogue politicians, and other champions of family values. But you don't figure the brickbats will be thrown by those in the industry whose interests you are trying to protect.
That's the position Michael Ross finds himself in. Michael Ross (and don't call him Mike) has issues.
By turns whiney, self-righteous, and - hard as it might be for some to believe - charming, Ross is one aggrieved lobbyist. Why? There are many reasons, but one he keeps coming back to is this: "I'm fighting to protect this industry so they're not censored, but the first fuckers who censor are in this industry."
For someone who is so well-versed in censorship laws, Ross's definition of censorship in this instance boils down the fact that to nobody loves him. Like a pugnacious Rodney Dangerfield, what really gnaws at Ross is that he don't get no respect. "I publish a newsletter; it goes out to over 2,000 businesses. I mention Free Speech Coalition, I mention ACE (the Association of Club Executives). Free Speech Coalition has a newsletter, they never mention anything I do; ACE will never mention me in theirs, but I mention them. The reality is that everyone is distorting the truth. There is no real truth in this entire industry."
So what is the truth according to Ross? "Every day, the other guys are betting on me to fail. But I don't. Why? Because I wake up each morning and I continue to achieve. I continue to turn the good word, I continue to turn a profit, and continue to testify on bills."
(A bit of history: Mike Ross worked for the Free Speech Coalition. "I was paid a dollar a year," he says, "and I was fired, for a really stupid reason." When asked the reason, he quickly changes the subject. Free Speech Coalition's Jeffrey Douglas refuses to comment on Ross. Ross claims Douglas won't comment because "I have told him not to step in my way and get on my turf.")
In his view, Ross's biggest sin is his integrity. "I'm doing the kind of job that needs to be done. A lobbyist doesn't need to take sides in an industry that's split on an issue; a lobbyist needs to present the information, help the client make a decision, and help inject that decision into the legislative process. If everybody is fighting between each other for clients and positioning it doesn't make sense."
According to Ross, it makes no sense for everyone to double up on polling, research, and other expenses. "The Free Speech Coalition, they're in a fight to protect themselves because of Ashcroft and what's going on in D.C. My guys don't have to worry about that as much. I'm dealing with state legislatures, ACE is dealing with local governments, and FSC deals with the federal government. Our niches are different, but we're all after the same thing."
He repeatedly commented that he wanted to use his soapbox as "an opportunity for everyone to get on the same page. We all have niches to fill, we all need to work together." If that's his aim, his marksmanship is just a little bit off. His conversation always returns to this favorite topic - the world against Mike Ross.
Even when he makes sense, a note of blowhard martyrdom creeps into his voice. "Everyone has the right to be vocal and loud in the porn industry except the guy who's paid to be vocal and loud. You can't please everyone, but you can create a positive image for legislators. Because this industry is positive. Legislators don't understand the connection between technology the economy and us. They don't understand the connection between film and creativity. It's called artistic freedom, that's what this country is all about. And a lot of legislators don't understand the industry itself so you have to translate it for them."
It's his skills at translating the industry that Ross says makes him an effective lobbyist, but also makes him a controversial figure within the industry: A prophet without honor. Talking with him, it's hard not to get the feeling that Ross is convinced he is the only one who sees the big picture. "Everyone in this industry runs around saying the ACLU and the Democrats are the best. But if you can go in and educate the Republicans, not only do you make friends of them, they're the ones who are introducing the fucking bills! The reality is that the people who are now introducing the bills [that affect the adult industry] are more often Democrats. How do you fight a Democratic bill when you support the Democrats?"
For someone who has a reputation of being a bridge burner, Ross maintains it's important to keep all lines of communication open. "I'm friends with the guy that runs the Christian Coalition out here. Sometimes we're together on bills, sometimes we're opposed. We joke around. We have lunch every once in a while, we BS with each other. He's a great guy; he likes me, I like him."
Kat Sunlove, who succeeded Ross as lobbyist for the Free Speech Coalition, doesn't like him, "because he is a conservative guy" and it's to her and the industry's detriment. "You've got to be friends with that guy, because you're going to run into him in the building; if every time a bill is up, you can't say hi to the guy, you're going to eat your kishkas out and you're going to be pissed off and you're not going to accomplish anything, which is compromise."
But compromise is not a word that is usually associated with Ross. When asked why he's such a controversial figure, most industry observers declined to talk on the record, but the consensus is that he's just too abrasive to be effective. "You only have to talk with him to see why he's so unpopular," was a typical comment. VCA's Russ Hampshire, one of the only people who agreed to be quoted, says that while Ross does have a tendency to get in people's faces, "I have no problem with him; he's a very effective lobbyist. His heart is in the right place."
Ross has worked on legislation on condom sales and overseas sales of adult material. His latest effort is a bill that would nail down the definition of a free trial period. "The guys who make us look like shit are the guys who are on the Internet and have the free trial period then rip off your credit card for $29.95. Those are the guys who have problems," he says. In addition to serving the consumer, Ross says that this issue gives him "the ability to talk about the Internet, e-commerce and the adult industry, and credit cards. Plus, he insists, it's a way to build coalitions, people who might come on board in defense of adult entertainment on other issues.
Still, it's been whispered that Ross has introduced bills for the express purpose of having them killed, just so he can claim a victory. Asked if this is the case, Ross erupts, his voice raising an octave. "Are you crazy?" he screams. "That's against the law. I could lose my license."
But any goodwill he might have gained quickly evaporates when he gives his rationale for why people might want to sabotage his career. "I'm the one in the hot seat, and I'm continually in the hot seat. Everybody has their own agenda," he says.
"I've made successes where they didn't. I'm successful," he concludes.
But couldn't people make similar claims about him? Doesn't he have his own agenda? "They can," he replies, "because words are easy, but I have a track record. I'm not a guy who showed up at work yesterday and decided to do this."
In addition to his work with the adult industry, Ross lobbies for consumer causes. He was one of the originators of California's Automotive Lemon Law in 1980. "I do a lot of consumer work," he boasts. "My practice is much larger than just adult entertainment."
But if that's the case, and if working in the adult industry is such an uphill battle, why does he remain in the business? He pauses for a second and launches into another monologue. "Well, it's interesting. The adult entertainment industry has gone from what I consider to be just guys who shoot movies to people who do a lot of different things, from products to the Internet to consulting. So there are a lot of people who need legislative service and I have a niche, and it happens to be the adult entertainment industry. Condoms, products, overseas sales. I've been doing this for a long time and the bottom line is that the support is continually there, because I'm doing the kind of job that needs to be done."
Of course, he can't end without getting a shot in at his enemies: "But people castigate me. I have a certain background and I know all the little things that need to be done. But people expect me to fold. And you know what pisses people off? That I'm still here."
